Spiritual Hiccups - The Tie That Binds

I vaguely recall a debate in a seminary class that had something to do with parental rights and the welfare of a child.  I've forgotten the particulars, but what I remember vividly is the very different stances of classmates.  Some saw parental rights as almost sacrosanct, something that could not be violated without overwhelming cause.  Others saw the needs of the child in a similar light with those needs easily trumping any notion of parental rights.

What are the bonds that matter most?  When I was a boy, every time new members joined out church they would be recognized, and then the pastor would call us to sing a verse of "Blest Be the Tie That Binds."  The words were never printed.  People were just supposed to know it.  Though it does not say so explicitly, I imagine that this "tie that binds" speaks of our being one in Christ.

Jesus raises this issue of the bonds between us directly in today's gospel.  Jesus' family wants to speak with him but cannot seem to make their way through the crowds into the house where Jesus is.  But when Jesus is told that his mother and brothers are outside, wanting to talk to him, he replies, " 'Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?' And pointing to his disciples, he said, 'Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.' "  So much for family privilege.

All of us have bonds that shape us.  I'm a Southerner from Charlotte, North Carolina, and I have certain loyalties associated with that.  I'm a Presbyterian.  I'm a male.  I'm a UNC Tarheel.  I'm an American.  I'm a Christian.  I'm a transplanted Ohioan, and so on.  But which bonds and loyalties take precedence?

I wonder what Jesus' mother and siblings thought when he left them outside and said that his disciples were his family, that others who followed him also became his family.  Surely I would have been hurt and offended if I had been Jesus' younger brother.

I have occasionally heard people say, "We shouldn't be sending aid overseas when there are people in need right here in the US."  I don't know if they mean it the way I hear it, but it sounds like the needs of Americans count more than the needs of others.  But before I criticize that, I have to acknowledge that I act this way regarding the needs of my own family.  

So... what does it mean to be a Christian, to have been baptized and joined to Christ, made part of his family?  What are the real ties that bind for me?  And for you?

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